Nuh and the Destroyed Nations

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي دَعَوۡتُ قَوۡمِي لَيۡلٗا وَنَهَارٗا ﴿٥﴾ فَلَمۡ يَزِدۡهُمۡ دُعَآءِيٓ إِلَّا فِرَارٗا ﴿٦﴾ وَإِنِّي كُلَّمَا دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ لِتَغۡفِرَ لَهُمۡ جَعَلُوٓاْ أَصَٰبِعَهُمۡ فِيٓ ءَاذَانِهِمۡ وَٱسۡتَغۡشَوۡاْ ثِيَابَهُمۡ وَأَصَرُّواْ وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرُواْ ٱسۡتِكۡبَارٗا ﴿٧﴾ ثُمَّ إِنِّي دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ جِهَارٗا ﴿٨﴾ ثُمَّ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَنتُ لَهُمۡ وَأَسۡرَرۡتُ لَهُمۡ إِسۡرَارٗا ﴿٩﴾

He said, "My Lord, indeed I invited my people [to truth] night and day. But my invitation increased them not except in flight. And indeed, every time I invited them that You may forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their garments, persisted, and were arrogant with [great] arrogance. Then I invited them publicly. Then I announced to them and [also] confided to them secretly

Context Surah Nuh is Nuh's own report to Allah. 29:14 says he stayed among his people 950 years.

He called them night and day, in public and in private. They put their fingers in their ears. The problem was never a lack of effort.

وَهِيَ تَجۡرِي بِهِمۡ فِي مَوۡجٖ كَٱلۡجِبَالِ وَنَادَىٰ نُوحٌ ٱبۡنَهُۥ وَكَانَ فِي مَعۡزِلٖ يَٰبُنَيَّ ٱرۡكَب مَّعَنَا وَلَا تَكُن مَّعَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ﴿٤٢﴾ قَالَ سَـَٔاوِيٓ إِلَىٰ جَبَلٖ يَعۡصِمُنِي مِنَ ٱلۡمَآءِۚ قَالَ لَا عَاصِمَ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ مِنۡ أَمۡرِ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا مَن رَّحِمَۚ وَحَالَ بَيۡنَهُمَا ٱلۡمَوۡجُ فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُغۡرَقِينَ ﴿٤٣﴾

And it sailed with them through waves like mountains, and Noah called to his son who was apart [from them], "O my son, come aboard with us and be not with the disbelievers." [But] he said, "I will take refuge on a mountain to protect me from the water." [Noah] said, "There is no protector today from the decree of Allah, except for whom He gives mercy." And the waves came between them, and he was among the drowned.

Context During the Flood. When Nuh pleads for his son, Allah answers: "he is not of your family" (11:46).

Even a prophet's son was not saved by kinship. Safety lay only in Allah's mercy, and faith is not inherited.

كَذَّبَتۡ عَادٌ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ ﴿١٢٣﴾ إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ أَخُوهُمۡ هُودٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ﴿١٢٤﴾ إِنِّي لَكُمۡ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٞ ﴿١٢٥﴾ فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ ﴿١٢٦﴾ وَمَآ أَسۡـَٔلُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ مِنۡ أَجۡرٍۖ إِنۡ أَجۡرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿١٢٧﴾

'Aad denied the messengers When their brother Hud said to them, "Will you not fear Allah? Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy messenger. So fear Allah and obey me. And I do not ask you for it any payment. My payment is only from the Lord of the worlds.

Context Ash-Shu'ara gives Nuh, Hud, Salih, Lut and Shu'ayb the same opening words (26:106-109, 26:161-164).

Each messenger asks his people to fear Allah, calls himself trustworthy, and asks no payment. One message, many nations.

فَكُلًّا أَخَذۡنَا بِذَنۢبِهِۦۖ فَمِنۡهُم مَّنۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَيۡهِ حَاصِبٗا وَمِنۡهُم مَّنۡ أَخَذَتۡهُ ٱلصَّيۡحَةُ وَمِنۡهُم مَّنۡ خَسَفۡنَا بِهِ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَمِنۡهُم مَّنۡ أَغۡرَقۡنَاۚ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظۡلِمَهُمۡ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوٓاْ أَنفُسَهُمۡ يَظۡلِمُونَ ﴿٤٠﴾

So each We seized for his sin; and among them were those upon whom We sent a storm of stones, and among them were those who were seized by the blast [from the sky], and among them were those whom We caused the earth to swallow, and among them were those whom We drowned. And Allah would not have wronged them, but it was they who were wronging themselves.

Context Follows brief accounts of Nuh, Ibrahim, Lut, Shu'ayb, 'Ad, Thamud, Qarun and Pharaoh (29:14-39).

Each was seized for its own wrongdoing, by stones, a blast, the earth or the flood. Allah did not wrong them; they wronged themselves.